


Kept Running for a Soft Place to Fall

by swcnsmagic



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Smut, Shameless Smut, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-08
Updated: 2017-02-08
Packaged: 2018-09-23 00:05:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9630788
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/swcnsmagic/pseuds/swcnsmagic
Summary: Emma has an argument with Neal at Granny's and realises that there's a bigger reason that she can't be with him than the fact that he broke her heart. That reason being a certain pirate.





	

Emma couldn't breathe.

Whether that was because she just fled Granny's in a frenzy, or because of Neal's words, she was yet to decide. Although, she assumed it was mostly the latter.

She found herself navigating the streets of the quaint town mindlessly, not having a clear idea of where she wanted to go, exactly. Her brain was spinning after Neal had spoken to her unabashedly in the middle of the diner.

_"Emma, can we talk?"_

_She gulped, and nodded weakly. "Had to happen at some point, I guess." She immediately cringed at her tone of voice, worried she came off as snappy. Admittedly, she was dreading this chat, but didn't want to let it show. Much._

_Neal gave a dry laugh before speaking. "I've been thinking these last few weeks, what with Neverland and Henry and everything else that's happened. Thinking about how different our lives would be if I'd come back to you after you'd finished your sentence. Henry could be ours, only ours. We could be happy like we were before."_

_Emma could see where this was headed, and she was not liking it. She could feel the panic rising, hand in hand with her pulse getting faster as Neal continued._

_"I guess what I'm trying to say is, I want to try again, Emma. I want to try and have this life with you, like we planned. Maybe we didn't plan it with all this magic, but we could do it. Don't you think?"_

_She couldn't do it. She just couldn't. A part of her still loved Neal, but not in a way that would ever work. It would only result in another heartbreak, one she might not be able to recover from this time around. She'd learned to move on the minute she got out of prison and started her new life. One where Neal never made an appearance._

_Avoiding his gaze, Emma spoke. "Neal, I... I can't. I can't do that. I've changed, I'm not the same person you knew 10 years ago." Her voice was trembling, and the familiar prickling sensation was starting in the back of her eyes._

_"You may not be the same person, but that's the whole point. We get to know each other. We start over. Please, Emma? Can't we just try?" Instead of sympathy, all Emma could see in his eyes was anger. Anger, desperation and a mix of other emotions, one of which was most certainly not love._

_He tried to reach for her wrist to pull her closer to him. She snatched her arm away from him quickly, giving him a seething look._

_"I'm sorry, but no. I've moved on. I can't let you do that again. Say you won't all you like, but I can't do it, Neal. Just please, if even the smallest part of you still loves me, let me go," she managed to croak._

_"This is about that fucking pirate, isn't it? It's him who's making you do this!" Neal was angry. Furious. And how_ dare _he bring Killian into this?_

_But in a way, he was right. Not about Killian making her do anything, no. Emma was her own person, and no one made her do anything she didn't want to. But Emma couldn't help but think of her and Killian's kiss and how much she felt in that short period._

_Emma took a few steps back in disbelief. "You can't bring Killian into this! None of this is his fault, Neal!"_

_Another humourless laugh fell from Neal's lips. "Are you fucking stupid, Emma? He's been after you the minute he laid eyes on you. He's trying to stop us happening! You belong with me, not with some drunken bastard like him," he spat._

_Emma lost it. She really, really lost it._

_"You have no fucking right to talk about him in that way. Not after what he did for you when you were younger. You do not have the right to say that I 'belong to you.' Because quite frankly, I belong to myself and no one else. We may have been in love once, Neal, but you've sure as hell proved that you don't love me like you used to."_

_A series of emotions flickered across Neal's face, most noticeably shock, regret and guilt._

_"Emma, I.." but he didn't get any further; not before she cut him off._

_"No, Neal, you don't get to apologise. Stay the hell away from me," she hissed, and brushed past him and ran out of the diner into the street._

So now she was walking with no clear destination in mind, still shaking from the confrontation.

Suddenly, she was hit with the familiar smell of salt and a light breeze that danced through her hair, artfully knotting the free-flowing strands.

Her subconscious had brought her to the harbour. Not her parents' apartment, not to the Sheriff's station, but here. The harbour, where _Killian_ was.

Killian.

Despite only sharing one kiss, and despite it only being a supposed "one-time thing", Emma felt _alive_. It was a new feeling; one she'd never felt with Neal. But she would not let him invade her thoughts; not when she was beginning to heal.

There'd been sparks, for sure. And she knew he'd felt them too.

Killian and Emma were similiar in so many different ways. One being that neither had been willing to open their hearts for quite some time, but when it came to the respective other, things were changing. Perhaps Killian was more ready than her, but that was a fact to be discussed later. If there was a later, that is.

Emma realised that she still hadn't moved from her spot, still deliberating whether to go and see him, or if her subconscious had made a mistake. But she realised that this would probably have happened at some point, so why not make it now?

Killian had kept his distance while Neal was around, willing to be a gentleman and give them a chance, despite how greatly he wanted her. Perhaps his reasoning behind this was because of what he told Emma in Neverland; how he'd win her heart without any trickery, and she would want him back. But he missed her, damnit. He missed her presence, seeing the fire in her eyes, the witty sarcasm, just _her_. Their kiss frequented his thoughts. He sighed when he remembered how soft her lips had been, how warm her mouth was. It may have been a response to a taunt, but dear lord, was it a good one. Full of passion and heat, he'd thought. Much like her personality.

The sound of footsteps on deck snapped him back to reality. Since everyone had returned to Storybrooke, no one had needed to come and see him. He wasn't surprised, in all honesty; he was just a pirate, and a feared one at that. But judging from the gait, Killian gathered it had to be someone who was fairly light, and found himself clinging to the hope that it was Emma.

He wasn't disappointed.

Her lithe and slim figure clambered down the ladder into his cabin with ease. He took notice of the slight puffiness of her eyes, and the darker patches on the sleeves of her sweater. To think that she'd been crying made Killian's heart break; he never wanted her to be in pain. Not while he had a say in it.

Eye contact was made, but no words were exchanged for several seconds. Both were content to revel in the presence of the other, taking in their most striking features as they had so often done not so discreetly before.

Killian made the first move. "Emma? What's happened, love?"

She could see genuine concern and worry in his eyes. "It's a long story, Killian. You probably don't want to know," she sighed.

He shook his head and crossed the room so he was mere inches from her. Grasping her hand in his, his eyes pleaded silently for her to tell him. "Whatever it is, it's clearly put you in this state. I'm all ears, darling. You can tell me."

"We should probably sit down for this, then."

Killian guided her to the desk and sat her down in a chair opposite him, but it took her a few moments to begin recounting her conversation with Neal.

"Neal and I... talked. And when I say 'talked', it was more of an argument. One you suddenly became the topic of.

He told me that he wanted us to try again, to try and be happy like we were before. I tried explaining that I've changed, I'm different to who I was 10 years ago. But he couldn't seem to grasp that concept. And then he had the audacity to bring you into it." She shook her head and looked down. Killian disentangled his hand from hers and shifted slightly beside her, sensing her unease. The way ahe spat the final sentence made him rethink everything; how maybe she could feel what he felt, how he could win her heart.

Emma noticed his change in demeanour and turned her head sharply to look at him. She saw the sadness that ever so slightly marred his face, and regretted what she said instantly.

"Killian, I didn't mean it like that. What I was trying to say was, I'm fuming at Neal for what he said; telling me that you were _making_ me do this, that you were stopping me trying again. And maybe, he's right."

Killian noticed how she said the last sentence softly, like she was unsure of her words, worried that she would hurt him more. Instead, he was intrigued.

"And how would that be, Swan?"

Emma breathed shakily. "Ever since our kiss in Neverland, I haven't been able to stop thinking about you."

He was taken aback by her words. _Her too? She couldn't stop thinking about it?_

"Good."

Her eyes flickered up to his, a look of confusion spreading over her face. "Good?" she repeated.

"Yes, good. Because I haven't been able to stop thinking about you either, Emma. I meant what I said; that I would win your heart without any trickery. The fact that you're here, admitting you keep thinking about me, just proves that." Killian let her take that in and process for a few moments. Although she was basically saying what he thought she was, he didn't want to scare her away. Not when he was so close.

Her features visibly softened, and her posture relaxed slightly. Not fully; Killian could still see the tension in her, but it was almost as if her walls had just fallen slightly.

His, on the other hand, had completely crumbled the second she came into his cabin.

A small, nervous smile danced across Emma's lips before she spoke. "Killian, I'm... I'm not good at this. You know that. I run when I get scared."

"I don't see you running right now."

"Because I'm not scared."

The words tumbled from her lips with ease, and Emma's eyes met Killian's. She was trying to look for a glint of anything negative, anything that should send her running. But like she just admitted, she wasn't scared. And Killian's eyes held nothing but adoration and everything positive.

She noticed his eyes flit down to her lips, almost unnoticeably quick. But she saw it. And she also saw the flicker of uncertainty ripple across his eyes.

"Killian?"

"Yes, darling?"

"Kiss me," she breathed.

Killian didn't need telling twice. It was a small gap between them, and he closed it in no time. The moment his lips locked with hers, the sparks she felt all those weeks ago started exploding throughout her, right down to her toes. His hand came up to cup her cheek ever so tenderly, as if he was scared that she was glass and would shatter at the slightest bit of force. His hook pressed into the small of her back, a slight prompt to get her to move closer to him. He needed reassurance that she was here, that he wasn't fantasizing yet again.

Emma's hands found the lapels of his coat, and gripped them as if they were her only anchor to reality. Killian deepened the kiss when he bit down gently on her lip and she gasped. At some point, Emma straddled his lap, and time seemed to stop while they lost themselves in each other's touch.

Eventually, Killian broke the kiss and leaned his forehead against Emma's, breathing heavily.

"Emma, I don't want to frighten you off, love, but I know I definitely don't want that to be a one time thing," he said levelly. There was a twinge of desperation in his voice that she didn't fail to notice.

"I know, Killian. Me neither."

Emma's heart absolutely _did not_ melt at the way Killian's face lit up at her comment. Not at all.

This time, Emma initiated the kiss, leaning down to take his face in her hands. The kiss was sweet, gentle and full of hope.

"You're a bloody marvel, Swan."

Emma gave a small smile before looking down, a blush flaring up across her cheeks. He complimented her with such ease; it wasn't forced, it was genuine and made her heart clench.

Killian's hand came up under her chin to turn her head to look at him. "I mean it, Emma. You're incredible. I have so many words to describe how I feel about you."

"How you feel about me?" Emma echoed.

"Yes, love, how I feel about you. I'd tell you, but again, there's the chance I could scare you off. And I don't want to do that."

"What if I said that I wasn't likely to run off any time soon?" she asked coyly.

"Then I'd say I would happily tell you how I felt," he smirked back.

"Well then, I'm not running off yet, Killian. Enlighten me."

She knew she was playing with fire here. And she loved it.

If things went the way she could see them going, Emma decided she wasn't going to do anything to stop it. The chemistry was obviously there, and the way Killian looked at her was a mix of him wanting to fuck her senseless and wanting to give her all the happiness in the world.

She certainly wouldn't resist the former.

"How about I start with how breathtakingly gorgeous you are, darling? How I think your beauty puts anyone or anything to shame?" Killian had placed Emma gently back onto the bed, and spoke softly into her ear. She didn't try to suppress the shiver that ran down her spine.

"Let's go with your hair, first of all. Darling, your hair is stunning. I could run my fingers through it all day and never get bored. I love the way it dances in the breeze. I love the way it frames your face." Punctuating his sentences, his hand slides up to tangle in the curls while he places a kiss to her temple.

This was different to anything she'd experienced before. Sure, she'd had men call her hot and the like before, but those were shallow comments from pigs who simply wanted to fuck her. No, Killian was worshipping her for everything she was. It was new; but it felt liberating.

"Then there's your eyes," he continued. "I love how they shine on the rare occasion that you allow yourself to relax, when your walls slip for a few moments. Others might not notice it, but I do."

He places a kiss to the spot between her eyes at that.

"The blush that fills your cheeks whenever I make an innuendo. I like knowing that you still allow yourself to feel some emotion, darling," he says with a kiss to each cheek. This really shouldn't be turning her on the way it was. But she couldn't help thinking about how this resembles part of her fantasies; her and Killian in bed and finally coming together as one.

"Killian..." she breathed, not knowing how to continue.

"What is it, Swan? Do you want me to stop? Have I gone too far?" There was a hint of regret in his voice, and Emma could see how genuine he was in being concerned. For a brief few moments, she felt a pang of guilt surge through her. It was her fault he was so unsure of himself, because of her tendencies to run at the smallest sign of affection.

"No, it's not that... it's just..." she trailed off.

"Just what, love?"

"I need you."

"You," he swallowed briefly before continuing, "you do?"

She inwardly sighed at his tone of voice, all soft and gentle and tender.

"It's what I've wanted since we first goddamn kissed, Killian," she whispered.

Leaning in closer, he whispered his reply against her ear.

"It's what I've wanted since I first saw you, darling."

"Then what's stopping you?"

"Your happiness and boundaries come first, dear. I'm not willing to push you further than you feel comfortable with going."

"Maybe I don't want a gentleman right now."

A flash of something dangerous flew across his face, but only briefly.

"You may not want me to be a gentleman now, love, but I want our first time to be loving and slow," he growled.

Emma could see where he was coming from. He truly did want to put her first, before his own needs.

It felt good.

"I'd like that."

No more words were needed from that point on. Killian captured her mouth with his once more, the kiss being languid and loving and passionate. Emma could feel him pouring his love into it, and despite not being able to say the words, she tried to show him through the kiss that she felt the same way.

She felt a tug at the hem of her sweater, and broke the kiss briefly for Killian to pull it over her head.

There was a charged silence as he took in Emma's barely covered form.

A blush crept up from her chest and bloomed over her cheeks, making him remember just how much he loved seeing her walls slip. Just for him.

"You're absolutely gorgeous, Emma. You know that, don't you?" he praised.

She dropped her gaze and mumbled something along the lines of "but I'm broken."

Killian grasped her hand in his own and pleaded her to look at him. "Emma, being broken means there is a way to be fixed. We're the same; we've both suffered heartbreaks. We've both been in pain because of it. But you've given me strength, darling. It's because of you that I've started to heal. I want the same for you, my love, because you deserve nothing but happiness." His voice was thick and heavy with emotion; battling the urge to cry. When Emma met his gaze again, her eyes were glistening with tears, with some already falling down her flushed cheeks.

"I'm sorry, Killian," she whispered.

"You've nothing to apologise for, lass. It's perfectly acceptable to feel sad. I just want to try to help you mend."

"I wouldn't want anyone else."

Leaning his forehead to hers, they shared a shaky smile. A smile that only two people who've known heartbreak can interpret.

Resuming the earlier ministrations, Killan gently lifted Emma and placed her in the middle of the bed. He trailed feather-light kisses down from her forehead to her waist, and unzipped her jeans slowly. Tugging the denim down her legs, every few moments he would worship the few inches of newly exposed skin.

Once the material was discarded of, he trailed another set of kisses back up, but this time stopping to utter words of love and praise into her skin. He was branding her with his affection, his love for her.

Emma writhed every so often when he found a particularly sensitive spot; he filed away that information for many dates to follow.

He reached her chest, and her breathed hitched as his lips ran over the swell of her breasts. Gently, his hand slipped around to her back to unclasp the restricting garment. Eager to see all of her, he tossed the bra somewhere across the room.

"You're breathtaking, I swear, darling," he reiterates, "a bloody goddess."

"Killian, please," she whimpered.

Humming in reply, Killian's mouth descended on one nipple, and twirled the other bud between his thumb and forefinger. A small gasp escaped Emma's lips, which made Killian smirk in satisfaction.

He switched his attentions after a stretch of time, giving the other breast the same attention as the other.

Emma wanted to cry at the affection he was showing. Being loved so fiercely was a new feeling for her, but it just felt _right_. And she couldn't ask for anyone better than Killian Jones himself.

"Killian?" she sighed.

"Yes, my love?"

"I still need you."

"I still need to take care of you first."

"That's not what I mea–" but she was cut off quickly.

"I know, darling. But I want to. Please?"

This was also new. A guy wanting to go down on her. All of her one night stands had acted as if it were a chore, and she'd never actually climaxed from it.

But something told her Killian would be different.

"Only if you're su–"

"I'm certain, love," he grinned.

With that, Emma's underwear was being removed and her legs being spread. Killian knelt before her, and was immediately hit with her rich and heady scent.

_Gods, could she get any more intoxicating?_

"Heavens, lass, you're fucking soaked."

She was about to reply, but Killian's lips made contact with her bundle of nerves, licking a slow and sure stripe from her slit to clit. Trying to control herself from bucking wildly, she gripped the sheets so hard that her knuckles turned white.

Emma had never been vocal in bed, she'd always felt too embarrassed. With Killian, it was a different matter. He kept saying how he _wanted_ to hear her, _wanted_ to know what she was feeling.

And this time, she felt completely comfortable with doing so.

"God, Killian," she rasped.

Killian, true to his word, was taking his time. His tongue traced an erotic language against her clit, and two fingers had begun pumping in and out of her leisurely.

"Come, Emma. I bet you look beautiful when you fall apart."

His words were all she needed to push her over the edge. Instead of falling, Emma felt like she was floating. Her body felt weightless, sated and relaxed. Killian continued to work her through her orgasm, drawing out her pleasure as much as possible.

When she finally came down from her high, Killian lifted his head to greet Emma with a knowing smirk.

"I was wrong. You look so much more than just _beautiful_ when you come, darling," he growled.

"Get up here, pirate," she demanded.

Happy to comply, he brought his lips down to hers for a searing kiss.

Even through his leather, Emma could feel just how strong he was. Centuries had sculpted the man before her; years filled with hard work and labour. She ran her hands underneath his coat and shoved it down his back, and reached back round to start divesting him off his shirt. Each button that was undone revealed more of the dark hair that she had so often fantasized about, wanting nothing more than to run her hands through it. Her hands trailed down his chest once the shirt was out of sight, and she finally got to admire his strength and toned abdomen.

When her fingertips brushed the skin just above the top of his leather pants, Killian broke the kiss. He looked down at her, pupils blown wide and irises the colour of the most unforgiving of seas.

"Darling, are you absolutely certain?" he rasped.

"Please don't back out on me now, Killian, I need you too much," she replied. And, judging from the obvious buldge in those trousers of his, Killian needed her just as much.

"As I need you too, love," he smirked.

"Show me."

Hand and hook moved to his trousers and he made quick work of shedding the leather. Emma immediately noticed that he wasn't wearing underwear, and was presented with his long, thick and heavy cock that lay proudly against his stomach.

Shooting a reassuring smile at her, Killian aligned himself at her hot and aching core, giving her one last chance to back out.

A chance she was not willing to take.

Nodding with a small smile to him, Killian slowly thrust into her, making sure she had time to adjust to his size. A noise somewhere between a gasp and a moan escaped her lips, and Killian wanted to drive home hard and fast without restraint. But he reminded himself that this was for her, he was making love to her, and she should be treated like the princess she was.

"Gods, Emma, you're so bloody tight," he groaned. She felt delicious stretched around him, sheathing him in her warmth.

"Oh, fuck, Killian," she cursed, head thrown back in ecstasy. Seeing an opportunity, Killian's lips descended on the skin on her collarbone and neck, leaving behind a few marks that would become prominent as morning came around.

"You feel absolutely amazing, love. Like you were made for me."

The build up to both of their climaxes was like a fire that started from a spark. The tension grew and grew until both of their bodies were alight and craving release.

"Come, Emma, I can feel it. You're almost there, sweetheart, just let go," he whispered gently, though the strain was still there in his voice.

She felt his hand trail down to where they were joined, and his fingers gave her clit a few circles and all of a sudden she was flying again. Stars popped behind her eyes, and her vision went blurry at the intensity of her release. Walls clenching around him, Killian followed suit, groaning and muttering about how perfect she was.

After their highs came to a stop, Killian rolled off of her to lay beside her. His hand went to her cheek, and he skimmed his thumb along the flushed skin.

"That was bloody amazing, Emma," Killian praised.

"You weren't too bad yourself, pirate," Emma retorted back.

Killian leaned in and kissed her sweetly, slow and passionate. Emma smiled into the kiss, and wanted to stay like that, there in the afterglow, for as long as possible.

"Killian?" she said quietly.

"Something wrong, love?" he sounded uneasy, worrying that she regretted everything they just did.

"No, it's just... I..." she stammered, heart thrumming in her chest at what she wanted to say.

Patient as ever, Killian nodded at her, encouraging her to speak.

"I love you."

The look on his face when the three words finally escaped her lips was one she would never forget. His features softened, and she saw his eyes glass up slightly.

"I love you too, Emma Swan. _I love you_."

For the rest of the night and into the early hours of the morning, they showed one another just how far their love went.

And for once, Emma wasn't scared of what she knew was real.  


End file.
